Has anyone else downloaded the officer's statement to the grand jury, and read the entire thing? I found it very interesting. He seemed very honest, and when asked about questioning, he answered he hasn't denied a single person of authority who has requested he answer questions, when he easily could have clammed up. Anyhow, I suggest anyone interested take 20 minutes and read the transcripts. What Saxman is saying plays well into this IMO - read the statements, and the questions from all the different members of the Grand Jury.
I've done a lot of training and fighting from vehicles, it was my PSD job for several years, as well as several years as an instructor - fighting with anything, even a handgun, while inside your vehicle when you're under attack is a very specific skill set, and not a simple one either. When the threats are civilians using unarmed combat techniques against you, it becomes a very complex situation in terms of using the threat or use of force continuum. That's what this officer ended up having to do, and once you read all his comments about it, and answers to questions, I think it's self evident that he was lucky to survive the initial attack, as he nearly had his weapon stripped as well as nearly having it discharged into the plexus of arteries in the pelvic area. Brown had his fingers in the trigger guard, and was trying to shoot the officer, however while struggling with the pistol it was moved enough out of battery to disengaged the trigger. Later in the fight when the pistol was pushed towards the floor, it did discharge, and hit the bracket which holds the seat belt latch to the floor. This empty casing wasn't ejected, because again, while struggling with the pistol, the slide was held in place and couldn't eject or load a new cartridge into the chamber. The rest of the encounter is covered very accurately IMO in the transcripts, and is backed up by various witnesses of all races in the area.
The officer had also just come from a child in distress call - life is strange, to go from helping a sick child to having to engage a crazed violent one seconds later...Much about this is covered in the transcripts as well. One interesting thing is that the officer immediately used proper procedure for storing evidence, and placed his weapon into the proper bag in the proper way. Brown's dna, sweat, and prints are all over that weapon.
Anyhow, IMO everyone should read the transcripts, to at least have a balanced and accurate idea of what the officer's side of the story is, and not the media's and those with axes to grind or playing politics with the issue.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/11/ferguson_darren_wilson_intervi.htmlThis is the GJ transcript, it starts on page 195 so skip ahead to there -
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1370518-grand-jury-volume-5.html